Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) – The perfect ideal

 

Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) – The perfect ideal

 

Surely, a (Glorious) Messenger from amongst yourselves has come to you. Your suffering and distress (becomes) grievously heavy on him (blessings and peace be upon him). (O mankind,) he is ardently desirous of your (betterment and guidance. And) he is most (deeply) clement and merciful to the believers.  Surah Tauba (9:16)

 

Allah Most High has such love for us that He uses the approach which an affectionate father would use.  For our own benefit, He persuades us the way kids are persuaded for any task.

 

Allah Most High desires that we should become obedient followers of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  Obedience seemed a burden.  So Allah Most High commands us to do so in such a way that it doesn’t seem a burden at all.

 

It is something like a guest is coming to someone’s house and this person considers this guest a burden.  Then it is said:  Do you know who is coming to you?  That person is coming to you who always sent money to you.  He is a great person.  You are lucky indeed otherwise why would he come?  You love him as well.

 

With such words the listeners develop love for that person and also develop the yearning to obey that person.

 

In the same way Allah Most High gives us the glad tidings of the arrival of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  Allah Most High describes such attributes of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) that you irresistibly develop love for the Prophet and you become obedient to Him.

 

Allah Most High surely has the right to leave you to your own opinions and then take you to task for them.  We see in this world that the servants are asked to obey our wishes.  If they don’t do so, they are taken to task for it.  If in lieu of a paltry sum we have the right, then Allah Most High surely has the right to abandon us to our intellects and take us to task for our sins.

 

If Allah Most High had done so, it would have been a great difficulty indeed.  This is because our minds cannot understand the likes and dislikes of Allah Most High.  How great is this bounty of Allah Most High that He conveyed His commands in a clear manner!  And not only once, He repeats them twice and thrice. 

 

And what approach did He use!  He didn’t simply send a paper that might have been difficult to read and understand.  He used an approach that is inherently suited to human nature.

 

To convey His likes and dislikes, He sent a great personality as an ideal.  Allah Most High loves us so much that He sent this great personality as the Mercy of the worlds.  O you who follow!  Without this ideal you would have blundering about in the dark.  Now close your eyes and simply follow Him, you will reach the Lord Almighty.

 

Human nature has been taken into consideration so much.  Human beings cannot develop perfection without an ideal.  This is the difference between human beings and animals.  Animals don’t need an ideal to develop perfection.  This is the reason that the moment the young one of a fish is born, it starts swimming about.  On the other hand, the child of the greatest swimming champion will not be swimmer unless and until he is taught how to swim.  This is the reason why books don’t give the benefit which the company of an accomplished person can give.

 

For this reason, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is sent as an ideal.  Some have seen the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) with their own eyes and some have seen the Seerah of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  Looking at His Seerah is also like seeing Him.

 

Looking at this ideal how easily can we act upon the wishes of Allah Most High!  Just think!  How much Allah Most High grants us and how much He loves us.

 

In spite of this ease, even if some unlucky person doesn’t follow Him, then how strict will be the questioning!  It will be said:  O wretch!  You didn’t value this ease that We have granted you and you come to us unlike the Ideal.

 

It is something like we give the requisite cloth to a tailor and give our Sherwani also as a model.  And we ask the tailor to sew it as per the model given.  If after stitching, the garment is not as per the model, then how upset will you be with the tailor.  If the tailor protests that the stitched garment is almost like the model, only the chest is a bit loose and the sleeves are a bit short, you will surely exclaim:  You wretch!  You have spoiled my cloth.

 

Thus, the treatment that you will mete out to the tailor, be prepared to receive the same kind of treatment from Allah Most High.  Think of the time when you will be standing before Allah Most High and you will not be as per the ideal of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  How angry will Allah Most High be!

 

To be continued….

 

[Excerpted from Miladnama of Hadhrat Muhaddith-e-Deccan]